Short Fiction by O. Henry

A Guarded Secret

Words you’ll meet in this part (12)
halt
To stop or bring to a stop (verb).
persistent
Continuing firmly despite obstacles or opposition.
ingratitude
Lack of gratitude or thankfulness
promulgation
The act of making a law, decree, or idea widely known.
antiquated
Belonging to an earlier period; no longer current.
applaud
To show approval or praise by clapping hands.
inscrutable
difficult to understand or interpret; mysterious
themselves
Used as a reflexive pronoun to refer to a group previously mentioned.
unworthy
Not deserving respect or attention.
whisper
To speak very softly using one's breath without vocal cords.
silk
A fine, soft fiber produced by silkworms, used to make fabric.
wretched
Extremely unhappy or unfortunate.

Short Fiction by O. Henry 12 new words

A Guarded Secret

It is time to call a upon the spreaders of the alleged joke that a woman can not keep a secret. No baser has been shown by man toward the fair sex than the of this false report. Whenever a would-be humorous man makes use of this chestnut which his fellow men feel in duty bound to , the face of the woman takes on a strange, , pitying smile that few men ever read.

The truth is that it is only woman who can keep a secret. Only a divine intelligence can understand the marvelous power with which ninety-nine married women out of a hundred successfully hide from the rest of the world the secret that they have bound to something of the pure and sacrificing love they have given them. She may to her neighbor that Mrs. Jones has turned her old dress twice, but if she has in her breast anything affecting one she loves, the gods themselves could not drag it from her.

Weak man looks into the wine cup and behold, he babbles his innermost thoughts to any gaping bystander; woman can babble of the weather, and gaze with infantine eyes into the orbs of the wiliest diplomat, while holding easily in her breast the heaviest secrets of state.

Adam was the original blab; the first telltale, and we are not proud of him. With the dreamy, appealing eyes of Eve upon him—she who was created for his comfort and pleasure—even as she stood by his side, loving and fresh and fair as a spring moon, the cad said, “The woman gave me and I did eat.” This reprehensible act in our distinguished forefather can not be excused by any gentleman who knows what is due to a lady.

Adam’s conduct would have caused his name to be stricken from the list of every decent club in the country. And since that day, woman has stood by man, faithful, true, and ready to give up all for his sake. She hides his puny peccadilloes from the world, she glosses over his wretched misdemeanors, and she keeps silent when a word would pierce his inflated greatness and leave him a shriveled and shrunken rag.

And man says that woman can not keep a secret!

Let him be thankful that she can, or his littleness would be proclaimed from the housetops.

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